Jason Mraz Concert

So Jason Mraz did a concert here in the Philippines and we bought tickets. It cost us 2650 for the Upper Box A seats but as a birthday gift for ourselves, whose birthdays fall near October 30, it will be worth it, I guess. I remember telling myself when I was still in college and he had shows in NBC tent 2003 and 2006, that I WILL watch him live if he returns to Manila. Well, this is it. I love his songs before anyways. He was one of the artists who started the acoustic era early 2000's same time when OPM was dying(most song sucked, mostly novelty and deliberately double-meaning) and going underground. The acoustic movement gave life to OPM again even most songs are just revivals like Paolo Santos and MYMP.

from Angel's blog. all pics actually

There were four of us who watch the show, me, Dex, Angel and Miray. I also did say yes in going to the concert because I figured most of the audience would be ladies, and it was. I think the demographic would be people above twenty years old unlike when we go to gigs in bars where people are mostly rich college kids.
It was funny seeing people wearing fedora hats. Well yeah, it was a Jason Mraz concert. He is known to wear it before but seeing him now in the dirty bohemian look (or the "Jesus Christ look" as one sign in the crowd puts it) makes these people look so 2006.

this guy had his hands raised the whole time

The show started with the self inflicted high fives, and the high fives to the people you came to the show with, then the high fives to other people in the audience. Haha, good times. Good show. Even though I don’t know his new songs and I can't sing along, it was a treat see them play live. His voice is also solid. Our seats are also good enough. Even though there’s only two of them playing instruments (guitar and percussions) the sound is really adequate. Another fun part of watching the concert is seeing fanatics, mostly guys, gays I think(yeah, I'm stereotypical) who are really into Jason Mraz act really hedonistic in singing along with all the gospel music lovin' like gestures(like their hands in the air for all eternity). It was hilarious hearing a man’s voice (high probability of gay person) shouting a very audible "I love you Jason".

He sang a lot of new songs. I just noticed that most of his new songs do not have his signature mumble-like lyrics or descants(I don’t really know what’s it called but the unknown/variable/improv part of the lyrics) that fit really good with the melody are very minimal or not at all in there.  He’s a real singer now. I noticed of course, that the crowd are waiting to hear his old hits. I’m thinking most people here are like me who like his old songs, and just waited for him to come back to hear him live. Last year I was at a Dashboard Confessional concert in Trinoma and Chris Carraba asked the crowd if we want new songs or the old ones. Again, as previous emo kids listening to his songs 10 years ago when we were still in school, we answered play old material please. The band then played mostly old songs. The show was awesome.

After the set, was the customary encore. He sang a song for MTV Exit program then two more songs the last one being "I’m Yours". It was a good concert. I heard "You and I Both" and that made my day. We had Starbucks coffee after then post mortem the whole experience. He said he will be back next year. I hope we would be there again.

I Don't Get What The Fuck is Ultimate Frisbee

source of pic

We were playing badminton in Meralco then we saw people playing frisbee in the field. These people look like rich people. I don't know how the game goes. What are the rules if there are any because when a person gets the disk, he or she gets left out. No contact whatsoever. No defense. Just throw the thing where there is a teammate who can catch it. This fad is supposed to be cool as Derek Ramsay plays it. A Pharmaton campaign shows him catching a frisbee.

even a naked frisbee game will look weird. pic from here

When we arrived at the office, I proceed to google the peculiar sport and results were awesome. Urban Dictionary contributors nailed it.

This one sums it all up:

Ultimate Frisbee

An absolute crap sport that sissy metrosexual guys who are useless at all other sports play, along with women, most of whom are again lacking in athletic ability. The only skills required in this game are the ability to throw a frisbee, and run.
In many cities in Canada this joke of a sport is monopolizing public fields that should be available for practices to those who play on teams in serious sports leagues (soccer, rugby, football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, etc.) Ultimate frisbee teams have used the sexism card to monopolize these public fields, arguing that since their teams are mixed sex, they should get priority over the single sex teams in these other sports, the vast majority of which are male. If you confront them and suggest there should be equitable distribution of the time of said field, one or more of the metrosexuals involved will have a hissy fit.

My Australian rules football team could no longer practice where we used to because the ultimate frisbee metrosexuals managed to convince the politically correct Toronto City Hall that they should get to use the field whenever they please, solely because their teams are mixed sex.

There is also an entry for Ultimate Pringles. Another hilarious "sport" derived from the sensational frisbee game thats taking metrosexuals by storm.

Saturn Return

It’s my 27^th birthday! For rock stars, it is a big deal so I have to celebrate. I don’t really celebrate my birthdays but I’m older now. For all the blessings, surpassing diseases and all kinds of stress i guess it would be in order to be thankful for another year. I’m not a birthday scrooge anymore. I think it is better to be thankful for every new day I am awake and so is every new year i am alive. Like every day is the first day of the rest of your life.

Today I wake up early because of message alert tones. I was thinking who the hell will text me in the morning? Then I remembered it is my birthday. Hahaha

My only plan for today is to go to church. Last year I was thinking of going to St Jude. It is also feast day but because it was difficult to go there last year when I’m at the office in Ortigas and considering all the traffic from there Ortigas to Manila. We settled going in the nearby EDSA Shrine instead. This year, I took a leave so I can go there.  I can finally reminisce my review period for the board exam when we used to go there on Thursdays. It is nostalgic just to see kids with their PRC stuff in an envelope. Yeah, I was like that five years ago. I can’t believe that was that long ago.

I arrived at Legarda at about 5PM after getting rejected by two FXs and a very slow purple line train. Lucky that there was a mass at 5:30 so I waited for it. It feels good to be finally at church after a very long time. It makes me feel really pleasant and peaceful. I just also have to not think that the church has issues on its own. I could sit if want to but I chose to just stand in the back. The last patron saint feast mass that I attended was for St. Roque in Banna. There were a lot of priests there and so is this mass. The bishop of Manila is the one doing the mass. I like going to mass in St. Jude because the church reminds me a little of the churches in the US and of course also the memories of ECE review. The homily was in English so I thought there would be no political issues to be expressed but there was. Just a little and it was bearable. Not much of the RH bill and other stuff I don’t want to hear.

After the mass, I rode the train and have some siomai. I ordered for the Japanese siomai but it looked like the ordinary. Not the same as the one in MRT. I go to Robinson’s Metro East to buy pizza for my mom. The mall is under renovation and its cooling system is unacceptably off. I was gonna chill for a while in Booksale but the heat is unbearable. I saw this book “The Adultery Club”. The synopsis seems like the trend nowadays of a guy, her wife and a hot seductress. I’m guessing this book would be packed of the good stuff. I flipped randomly in page 268 I hit a good part. The book is narrated by the guy even though the writer is a female. I guess this book is meant to be read by the ladies. I didn’t buy it though.

Moving on, I called home using a payphone then I did a little food shopping. I bought my mom’s requested two small pizzas then I went home. So what I have for my birthday are ice cream, the pizza and miki by my mom. That would be everything I wanted. I love the miki. My parents love the pizza. My sister was about to leave for a comedy when I got home but all of us forbid her to go because it is late and no one is picking her up. Commuting is not a choice at that moment. Very good day. Great day not to think of other problems. Until next year!

Talent Shows

Weekends lang ako madalas sa bahay kaya weekend lang din ako nakakapanood ng TV. Nakakatamad na din umuwi ng Friday dahil ginawa nang Linggo nang umaga yung Loko Moko sa Channel 5. Ewan ko ba, tumaas na yata ulit yung rating ng Bubble Gang dahil dun sa usong-uso ngayon na si Boy-Pickup. Dadating din araw na malalaos yun. Nakakatawa din naman yung nakaisip ng concept nun. Cool sa una pero nakakasawa rin mag-isip ng point ni Boy Pickup at hindi naman ako manonood ng nakakatawang palabas para lang pagurin ang utak ko.

Kapag primetime hindi naman ako makasingit sa pinapanood nilang Channel 5 sa bahay. Buti pa dati na dalawa yung TV namin, ngayon isa na lang. Badtrip lang manood kasi puro na lang talent shows. Nakakaloko kasing pauso ng American Idol pangtapat dati nung nauso ang Reality TV kalakasan ng Survivor, Fear Factor, Amazing Race, etc. Apparently, reality shows pala yung mga ganung palabas. Screw them! Ang layo kaya ng singing contest sa reality show. Ngayon angdami dami na nila. Tatlong local networks puro ganun yung palabas. Mataas yata kasi yung rating ng Talentadong Pinoy kaya need na tapatan ng mga kalaban. Hahaha. Nagsisiksikan na yung mga talents nila sa mga Sunday noon time shows nila. Tapos yun na yun. Hindi naman na sila sisikat. Patay na ang FM radio sa Pilipinas. Asa naman na mag peperform sila sa mga bar tapos may manonood na faithful nilang text voters. Kung ikaw naman mapadaan sa mall tapos may show ang isang winner ng reality show(singing contest), titingnan mo lang naman kung nagimprove na yung hitsura pagkatapos manalo kung mukha nang artista at nag kick-in na yung pagpunta-punta kay Belo at Calayan. Pero pang-mall shows lang sila syempre, naroon yung masa fans tapos magpapapirma sila ng CD na puro naman revival ang kanta. Tae. Wala naman bibili ng ganun. Kahit siguro pirata. hahaha.

Bulok. Meron pang nalalaman yung GMA na Protégé. Bagong talent search. Pano pag magaling ka nga, hindi ka naman natapat sa tamang mentor. Kunwari mentor mo si Jay-R.hahaha.

Di ko sure pero dapat songwriters na lang kaya hinahanap nila. Kokonti na lang yung tunay na mga composers. Kasi naman habang mainit pa yung pangalan ng talent kailangan may kanta. Kahit revival basta may makanta lang. Si Yeng Constantino pa lang talaga yung nagiisang produkto ng talent search na may talent. Lahat wala na. buti na lang may mga ilan-ilan na local artists na nabibigyan pa rin ng break kahit hindi cover songs ginagawa. Yung kanta dun sa tagalized 49Days sa channel 2. Ayos yun. Pwede.

Ang dami-dami na nilang artista, naghahanap pa sila ng bago. Kawawa naman, lilipat lang ulit sa Channel 5. Ang konti lang naman ng shows dun, wala pang noon time show. Hahaha. Kung hindi makalipat wala na, makakalimutan na lang sila ng madla.

You fucking Already

Nung late 90s nauso yung "exaj",galing sa salitang "exaggerate". Hindi ko alam kung tama ang pagbaybay ko. Nakakairita yun pag naririnig ko dati. Kasi ampupu naman, walang ganung salita sa dictionary. Pinaiksi lang ng mga Pinoy. Salitang balbal. Kung anu pang tawag sa ganun na tinuturo sa paaralan dati. Hindi rin naman sya daglat kasi wala talagang ganung word. Malayo sa ID = identification. OK = all correct. Mga = manga. etc = et cetera. Basta panget sya. Hindi sya dapat gamitin pero naririnig ko pa rin yun ngayon sa mga malamang ginamit yun dati tapos sa palagay nila ay cool yun. Hindi na nakaget-over. Mahilig yata talaga ang mga tao sa pagpapaikli ng words. Berks, tol, pre, angdami pang iba. Ang bago ngayon yung IMBA. Siguro last year ko lang nalaman na imbalance pala yun. Akala ko acronym yun nung una parang GTFO, ROFL, WTF mga ganun. Iba pala. Haha. Pakiramdam ko matanda na ako. Pero galing naman pala yun sa online gaming. Ok lang lusot na hindi ko yun alam kasi hindi naman ako gamer.

Mga pauso. Pana-panahon. Hindi lang yan, may iba pang nauso na nakakainis pero hindi pinaikling salita. Nauso din last decade yung "manawa". Ibig sabihin daw ay magsawa. Hindi ko alam paano naging derivative yun kasi hindi yun naituro sa amin nung  high school kapag tinuturo yung past, present, future tense ng mga pandiwa.(hindi ko na igogoogle yung tense, tama nang isulat ko lang yung naalala kong mga stuff). Bigla na lang lumitaw yung word na yun sa vocabulary ng mga tao. Ngayon hindi ko na siya gaano naririnig. Ang uso nang gamitin ngayon na hindi ko rin naririnig dati ay yung "Ikaw Na".

Ikaw Na. Ewan ko pero una ko yatang narinig to sa TV political ad ni Mar Roxas nung tatakbo syang pangulo. Sa commercial naawa siya dun sa batang nagpapadyak tapos siya kunwari yung pasahero. Banat ng sikat na linyang “Ako na” tapos siya na yung nagmaneho ng pedicab. Isa na syang sikat na pangungusap ngayon. Ang pattern basta may 2^nd person na panghalip sa unahan (e.g. Ikaw, Kayo) Na. Ginagamit madalas pag may bitterness na nararamdaman.

e.g.

Salamat nakapasa ako sa exam kahit mahirap.

Ikaw na

Pwede rin banat sa nagyayabang:
e.g.

Ang laki ang sahod ko. Ang yaman ko!

Ikaw na.

Ok yan pero mas maraming beses na sa pagiging bitter sya ginagamit. May masabi lang. yung version na 3^rd person pronoun yung ginagamit (sila na) ginagamit lang din yun pag may kinaiinggitan.

e.g

balita ko may trip to Malaysia daw sila

Sila na.

Tangina no. haha. Huling version na paggamit yung ginawa ni Mar Roxas. First person pronoun(i.e. Ako/Kami) na ginagamit lang pag nagyayabang. Kaya pag ginamit mo yun, nagyayabang ka na nun. Hindi mo yun matatanggi. 

May mga kalat naman na naisip i-translate sa english kahit wala naman direktang translation kaya naging "You already" na lang. Hindi ko alam, tingin nila mas cool pag ingles. Bulok.

Tuesday

Seeing a couple holding hands reminds me of you

Makes me miss the things that I have to plan for two

I miss the weekends that I don’t stay at home

Who the hell wants to dine out alone?

When you walk I like looking at your hips move

And sometimes I also watch how you eat your food

And now all our hobbies are not enjoyable anymore

Trying to smile everyday feels more like a chore

I wish you are here, it is hard to live single

Without you I feel very little

- I was walking to work last tuesday when i saw this couple holding hands. it prompt this poem which lingers in my mind for days. this morning i also saw another couple chuckle while walking. i have to write this down before i forget the words haha

So September Ended. Now What?

I was sleeping the entire month. Now I need some activity.

First day of October, i woke up 1PM. Very late because we were in banchetto 2AM and eating betamax and i hit the sack at around 4AM.  For my breakfast/lunch, I was thinking of eating at Kitaro alone. The week before I also dine out alone at Greenwich, so I guess I can get myself sushi.  It would be more than two months that i am craving for raw fish and ramen. Chast is in the US so I don’t have someone to hit the sushi bar with. I just have to eat out alone. Even if typhoon Quiel is hitting the Metro with rains, it’s just a block away from the condo as the Kitaro website puts it. I choose Kitaro because there was this one time we were at Metro East and should be eating at Kitaro but too bad the branch is already closed. It sucks when a Kitaro closes just like the one in Riverbanks and another in Eastwood.

I hate taking picture of what I eat but I got to document this one

I ordered salmon sashimi and shoyu ramen. Because I have nobody to talk to, I just observe the people around me. There’s these family in the next table. A pretty trophy wife, a rich looking guy and two girls. They also have two yayas. The couple was eating tempura and teppanyaki and the kids are having miso soup. The mom even ordered extra tofu because the kids love it. What’s sick is that the yayas don’t have anything to eat. Hahaha.

The shoyu ramen is bit too salty for me. The salmon sashimi  just for one was a delight.  god I miss sashimi. I spent 455 pesos just for a meal. First time I spent that much for food for one.

Before I went home, I decided to get myself a haircut. I need my ears visible for a 2x2 photo. Too bad because i just bought a headband last week. Now I don’t need it. When I got home, it is already 5pm. Time for Willie’s show on TV so I go sleep next to my neice. She looks cute when she is sleeping. Now I am watching My Amnesia Girl on Cinema One.  Hoping to write something cool later. Maybe tomorrow.